M1NT
24/F 318 Fuzhou Lu (???318?????24?)
The Bund
Shanghai, China
PRICE: ????
RATING:

The iconic M1NT doesn’t really need an introduction, does it? Last year it won Best New Club, Best Cocktails, Best Bartender, Best Nightlife Bathroom and Best Club in the City… all whilst boasting 24th floor views of Shanghai and complete with a long shark (?!) tank in the bar area. The club is where Shanghai beautiful people go, which is why I’m never there. Haha!

Well, I’ve only been there once, and that was for my Hens party. Been meaning to go back and bring Chris there, but just never got round to it. But since Mum and Dad are in Shanghai again for 2 weeks, I thought it’d be perfect timing. Especially also because Shanghai Restaurant Week is on and M1NT is one of their featured restaurants.

It’s moody and dark in M1NT, and the music is pretty loud since it has a nightclub vibe. We prefer classical/softer music, but at least their service is top notch. Polite and attentive, we really appreciate it when Caesar (cool name!), the restaurant manager, buzzes around all the tables and takes the time to introduce himself and ask how our food is. The one and only thing I disliked about our experience was that they don’t allow complimentary water. Say WHAT?! Yeah. It really gets my goat when restaurants decline serving water.. especially whey they’re not a cheap restaurant. Instead, we have no choice but to order VOSS water, which is imported and cost a cool (or is it heart-stopping?) 80RMB per bottle. And yes, we do get it, but not without a bit of a sulk 😛

However, it picks up steadily after that. The service is precise and alert, and the food comes out swiftly. The Tuna, avocado tatar, lime, wasabi dressing is a delight – creamy fresh tuna sashimi diced with luscious cubes of avocado and a hint of wasabi cream. It’s not a big portion but not minuscule either. The wee wooden spoon it comes with is adorable!

The Prawns, chicken, pomelo salad comes out impressively piled high on a white square plate. It comes with a generous amount of prawns, though they are not as crisp fresh as they could be. The flavour of the salad is tangy and spicy, and is a delicious way to kick off the dinner. I’m not a fan, however, because of the copious amount of beansprouts (not their fault, it’s supposed to be a Thai salad and that always has bean sprouts in it), but everyone else loves it.

My favourite dish is the Bamboo roasted black cod, grilled lime. It arrives as a stunning chunk of creamy white cod fish that is glazed and shiny. It’s bigger than my fist and great value. The fish flakes apart in thick moist layers and is superbly creamy yet delicate. The flesh is so sweet and subtly flavoured that I am in foodie heaven, one of the best fish dishes I’ve had in Shanghai for sure!

The guys love the Australian 300 day grain fed black angus beef. It’s a decent size and absolutely perfectly seared on the outside, and pink and juicy on the inside.I never thought I’d like mustard, but the grain mustard they serve the steak with gives it a punch of salty flavour but still allows the richness of the steak to come through. It’s tender (we use butter knives to cut it) and a very satisfying dish.

We note that our meals had no vegetables or carbs whatsoever. I did have 3 dinner rolls, but that doesn’t count, does it? 😛 I point this out to Caesar, who nods agreeably. On our way out, I see plates of beans/potatoes at the open kitchen – did someone specifically order it or did Caesar immediately take on board our comments and implement a solution? If it’s the later, I’m massively impressed!

M1NT’s signature dessert is the Chocolate fondant, green tea ice cream, and I can see why. The fondant is expertly cooked – dense on the outside but oozes a very very very rich liquid chocolate centre. It fits into my palm but I don’t want it any bigger since it’s such a rich dessert. The homemade Green Tea ice cream is very creamy and has a lovely subtle flavour, however it doesn’t match the fondant and is a strange combination. It would have been better served with a high quality vanilla bean ice cream.

We finish the meal with a complimentary shot of Grand Marnier each. A very lovely touch and totally abolishes our earlier gripe about the non-complimentary water 🙂 I love restaurants that add a little extra bonus to a meal, it just feels so pleasant and makes me eager to return.

This was the 250? per person 3-course set meal that we had. Considering the steak alone is 350?, it is an outstanding deal. Thumbs up!

M1NT. Where even the menus are sexy.

The moody interior

The special menu for Restaurant Week

Chris peruses the wine list

Prawns, chicken, pomelo salad

Tuna, avocado tatar, lime, wasabi dressing

Assorted bread basket with olive oil and sea salt

Checking out the open kitchen whilst we await our mains

Pinot Noir and Riesling

Australian 300 day grain fed black angus beef

Bamboo roasted black cod, grilled lime

Merrily tucking into our mains

Chocolate fondant, green tea ice cream

Grand Marnier shots

The lights of beautiful Shanghai by night